Illumination-controlling device



' Jan. 3, 1928. 1,655,356

c. w. CROWELL ILLUMINATION CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed Oct. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l gnwwtoz ma zws m 0 0M922 Jan. 3, 1928. 1,655,356

7 c. w. CROWELL ILLUMINATION CONTROLLING- DEVICE 5 1925 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct.

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Patented Jan. 3, 1928 UNITED sums PATENT CHARLES w. cs'o'wmi, or sALIsiaUni, NORTH CAROLINA.

ILLUMTNATION-CONTROLLING DEVICE.

Application filed October 3, 1925. Serial No 60,282.

This invention relates to illumination con trolling devices and more particularly to a means for controlling the headlights of an automobile to prevent objectionable rays from being projected into the eyes of the drivers of oncoming vehicles or 'into' the eyes of persons at the side of the road.

An important object of the invention is to provide a construction whereby the beam projected from the headlights is prevented at all times from reaching an elevation higher than a predetermined elevation and whereby during the ascent of 'acclivities,

whether relatively short or long, the rays of the headlights are directed against the ground immediately infroi'itot' the vehicle, thereby preventing dazzling of persons surin'ounting-tlie crest of'the; acclivity orin the tenders oftlie vehicle as well asa means for supporting and controlling the headlights;

Aiu-rther object OftllHlIlVEIllllOIllS to pro vide in combination with a deviceof this character means" for cutting off atall tiin'es the rays from the upper half of the headlight or niodulating'these rays so thatthey' are not dazzling or objectionable.

These and otherobjects I attain by the construction sl owir the accompanying drawings, wherein torthe purpose o'fi'i llustrationis shown a preferred enibodimentof' my invention and wherein V Figure 1 1s a front elevation of avehicle having a' headl ght mounting constructed in accordance with my invention audhaving these headlights provided jwith sliiel'dspcon structed in accordance with my invention,

the shields being shown in solid lines in their normal position and in dottedlines in the position in which they'assunie when the vehicle through the journal box and-its cap'which supports the transverse bar-jor-shaft;

Figure 3 is an endelevatiorr partly broken awayofthe journal box showing the bumper eoni'iectionbetween this journal box and the shaft; Y

is nialzing' a lefthand turn; Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view- Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view takenthrough-theshade; 1 Figure 5 1s a transverse sectional view."

Figure 6 is aview partially'in section of one end of the shaft showing the journal attached thereto Figures 7, 8 and 9 are side-elevations of a vehicle Gmployinga headlight mounting con st'ructed in accordance with my invention, illustrating the same when traveling ontli'e level, uphill and downhill respectively.

Referring now more particularly to the drawingathe numeral 10 indicates journal boxes, each preferably provided with a bracket extension llfwhich is adaptedto engage with "the inner face of a tender apron 12 and be secured thereto; as indicated at 13. At its inner end, this journal bon is forni'e'dq with an" inwardly projecting" flange 14',- the rear face/of which is'radial to and lies vertically below the axis of the bearing 15 formed in theupper surface of the journal box; The flange 14L forn'isa bumper block, as will hereinafter more particularly appear aiidhas formed. therethrough from front to rear, abore 16'; the

rear end ofwliich ifs-enlarged; as'at 17. A

bolt 18' has its head arranged at ther'eaiiface of the flange 14; waits 'shankklirected through the bore 16' while between? "the shoulde'r 'ltl formed-at the junction of the bores 16% and-317 and tlie li'ead l8 a spring 20 is disposed. The shank2l oftliis bolt has a relatively long thread havingjan'ib and locknuts and-23 iiioufnted tl'iereon, a

A transverse shaftfl l 'is'provided, this shat't preferably consisting eracent 'a-l tul'iular section-25 and eiid join nalsectionsfitij secured: to said tubular Section; as at '27,

These journal sections haveai portion 28' constructed to fit the associ ted taxis and at the ends of this bear ng portion have flanges 29fand 30 preventing sliiitingpf.

the journal seotions 'witliin 'thjeboites: "The flange 30- ispreferably"foiin'ed integrally with a lag 31 which, whenthejournal sec-e1 tioii, is-finfiapplied position; aligns with the fiange 14 and-this lug hasits froirtface 32 radial to the axis of the journal section and adapted to coact with the rear face of'the" flange e14. i j i Asa neansfor securingitlie shaft in eation in thejournal b oxesj lcaps 83ers pro i vided; each liaving formed, thereinan in'- ternal recess 34, of'considerably:great-er di-x ameter than the bearing section 28 oiht lie itiii ment thereof within the bearing.

shaft journal. This recess forms a housing for ablock preferably of wood against which is seated a metal follower 36. The upper faces of the caps 33 are each provided with a tubular boss 37, the upperend of which is closed, as at 38, and has directed therethrough an adjusting screw 39," Between the inner end of this adjusting screw 39 and a tit 40 formed on the metallic follower, a spring 41 is disposed by means of which pressure exerted by the follower upon the wood block 35 may be regulated and accord ingly the pressure resisting rotation'of the shaft is regulated.

The shaft 24: provides a mounting for the.

headlights 12 which may be of the usual construction but which are preferably constructed in accordance with my prior Patent No. 1,601,111 dated September 28, 1926, for headlights. In this application, I have disclosed a headlight which is of the usual construction with the exception of the fact that is has secured thereto at the upper end thereof and immediately above the horizontal axis of the headlight a journal box 43 having an attaching bracket 14: by means of which it is secured. This journal box has mounted therein a journal45 flanged at its ends, as at d6, to prevent longitudinal move- Formed integrally with one of these flanges 46 is a jaw 17 within which is secured a glass plate 48 preferably of translucent glass and substantially in the form of a semi-circle having a diameter considerably greater than the diameter of the lens of the headlight. The lower edge l9 of this plate is disposed in a plane including the horizontal axis of the headlight when said lower edge is hori zont-ally disposed. A cap 50 is provided for the journal box similarly constructed to the caps of the journal boxes 10 so that regulation of the swinging movements of the plate &8 may be provided. lVhile l have above referred to this plate as being of t 'anslucent material, it is to be understood that this plate may be constructed in any manner as long as it modulates the beam passing there through to render the same non-dazzling. The shaft 24 likewise provides. a mounting fordepending arms 51 upon which are adjustably mounted pendulum weights 52.

In the operation of the device, it will, of course, be understood that the shaft 24: is free to rotate through certain limits and as "the limit of movement merely limits this re tation when the headlights are at a'predetermined position where their beams do not reach a point above a givenlevel above the ground at a predetermined distance in advanceof the vehicle, the headlight beam may, never be projected above such l vel.

When the vehicle starts to ascend a hill,,the

pendulum weights will, of course, move rearwardly with the result that the beam is caused to incline toward the ground and not project in alignment with the inclination of the vehicle as in the ordinary headlight mounting. This is true whether the acclivity is relatively short or long or whether the vehicle is merely temporarily lifted by engagement with some obstruction upon the road. \Vhen, however, the vehicle is traveling down-hill so that the inclination is from back to front of the vehicle, the rays are prevented from horizontal projection by engagement of the lug 32 with the bumper element 14: and are maintained in alignment with the'vehicle as though the vehicle were traveling horizontally, thus keeping the rays upon the road where they are needed. The plate 48 will, of course, at all times, during straight ahead travel, 'maintain its lower edge in horizontal position, acting as a pendulum and for this reason will at all times out off the upper half of the rays from the headlight or modulate the same to render these rays non-dazzling. It is pointed out that when the vehicle is making a turn, due to the present practice of banking the roads at the turn, such a transverse inclination of the vehicle takes place and accordingly with the ordinary headlight structure, an increased and more dazzling ray is passed from the headlight traveling directly across the road and accordingly interferes with the operation of vehicles passing in the opposite direction. In my device, however, this tendency of the rays to increase in strength is eliminated. It is pointed out that the structure hereinbefore described, while described and illustrated as applied to the headlights of an automobile could quite conveniently be applied to the headlight of a locomotive and would perform the same functions in exactly the same manner. t will thus be seen that by this combination,

the passage of objectionable above a predeterminedlevel orin a direction where they are not needed and where they maybe undersirable is prevented and the light is at all times kept at a point where it is most needed. I

$ince the construction, as hereinbefore set forth is obviously but a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to such specific structure except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim '1. In combination with a vehicle, a journal carried thereby, a shaft mounted in said journal, a headlight carried by the shaft, means limiting rotation of the shaft when the beam from the. headlight is horizontally directed while the vehicle is horizontally disposed, a pendulum rotating the shaft when, the forward end of the vehicle is elevated to maintain the beam from the headlight in horizontal position and adjustable means in said journal box applying pressure to the journal to thereby frictionally resist rotation of the shaft, said means limiting rotation of the shaft comprising coacting bumper elements carried by the shaft'and journal.

2. In combination with a vehicle, a jour-r nal carried thereby, a shaft mounted in said journal, a headlight carried by the shaft,

means limiting rotation of the shaft When the beam from the headlight is horizontally directed While the vehicle is horizontally disposed, a pendulum rotating the shaft when the forward end of the vehicle is elevated to maintain the beam from the headlight in elements carried by the shaft and journal,

one of said bumper elements having an adjustable spring-pressed cushioning element for engagement With the other of the bumper elements.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

CHARLES V. CROVELL. 

